Gulf of Tonkin Map
|
Where is the Gulf of Tonkin? The Gulf of Tonkin
is situated in the South China Sea bounded
by China to the north east, Hainan Island to
the east and north Vietnam to the west.
What was the Gulf of Tonkin Incident? The
first Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred on
August 2, 1964 when the American destroyer
USS Maddox, sailing in North Vietnamese
waters, was attacked by three North
Vietnamese torpedo boats. US destroyers
resumed patrol on August 3 and a second
incident occured on 4 August 1964, when
radar and sonar images indicated an attack
on the USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy.
Where was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
The incident was the basis for the Tonkin
Gulf Resolution, which was unanimously
passed by the House of Representatives on
August 7, 1964. The Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution gave President Johnson the
authority to commit major American forces to
the Vietnam war.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution:
On August 10, 1964, President Lyndon B.
Johnson signed the Joint Resolution for the
Maintenance of Peace and Security in
Southeast Asia, known as the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts for kids
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 1: History: The
Vietnam War (November 1,
1955 – April 30, 1975) was fought between the Communist
government of North Vietnam, who were supported by the
Chinese, and the armies of South Vietnam, who were
supported by the USA.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts -
2: History: The
Vietnam War was waged during the
Cold War between the US
and the Soviets President Johnson was a strong
anti-communist and supporter of the
Domino Theory.
Johnson believed that the prevention of a communist
victory in South Vietnam was vital to the defence of the
United States. In a famous quote in early 1964 Johnson
said "If we quit Vietnam, tomorrow we'll be fighting in
Hawaii and next week we'll have to fight in San
Francisco."
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 3: History: President Johnson was
convinced that action in South Vietnam alone would never win the
war. His Chiefs of Staff wanted to take a more forceful approach to
the Vietnam conflict and to send in US troops to bolster the South
Vietnam Army. Johnson agreed , but was unwilling to risk political
damage by escalating bombing raids in North Vietnam that would
increase civilian casualties.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 4: History: President Johnson
decided that a better strategy would be to bomb selected targets
such as military bases and fuel depots.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 5: History: Johnson therefore
gave his support to ‘Operation Plan 34B’ which involved a
reconnaissance program during which the ‘USS Maddox’ destroyer was
sent in to the Gulf of Tonkin on a intelligence-gathering mission to
examine North Vietnamese naval defences. The Gulf of Tonkin is
situated in the South China Sea to the west of North Vietnam.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 6: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident:
US destroyers, including the USS Maddox, were sent into North
Vietnamese waters around the Gulf of Tonkin to obtain information on
the North Vietnamese naval defences. These missions were called
DESOTO patrols in which the U.S. Navy destroyers were equipped with
a mobile 'van' of signals intelligence equipment used for
intelligence collection in hostile waters.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 7: The Gulf of Tonkin
Incident: On August 2, 1964 when the American destroyer
USS Maddox, under the command of Commander H. L. Ogier,
was attacked by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats.
The USS Maddox returned fire. These were the first shots
fired in anger by the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War. The
USS Maddox sunk one torpedo boat and called for
assistance.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 8: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident: The USS
Turner Joy, under the command of Commander Robert C.
Barnhart, responded to the call, as did four F-8
Crusaders flying from the aircraft carrier, the USS
Ticonderoga
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts -
9: The Gulf of Tonkin
Incident: By the time the USS Turner Joy reached the
Maddox, the surviving North Vietnamese torpedo boats had
fled.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 10: The Incident: On
August 3, 1964, the USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy the
were ordered out of the Gulf of Tonkin, under the
operational control of Captain John J. Herrick.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts -
11: The Gulf of Tonkin
Incident: The USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy returned to
the Gulf of Tonkin the next day, on August 4, 1964, to
continue the DESOTO patrols and to "show the flag" in
international waters off the coast of North Vietnam.
What happened next has been in dispute ever since.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 12: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident:
On the night of August 4, 1964 the Maddox and the Turner Joy both
spotted, via radar and sonar, what appeared to be small, high-speed
surface craft approaching, although at extreme range. As a
precautionary measure, the two destroyers called the aircraft
carriers, the USS Ticonderoga and the USS Constellation, for air
support.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 13: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident:
The USS Maddox, the USS Turner Joy believed they were under torpedo
attack and fired at the suspected, distant, hostile craft, although
no actual visual sightings of the North Vietnamese torpedo boats
were made. President Johnson gave orders for U.S. bombers to
retaliate for the North Vietnamese torpedo attack
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 14: Captain John J. Herrick sent a
message that raised doubts about the August 4 incident which said,
"Review of action makes reported contacts and torpedoes fired appear
doubtful. Freak weather reports and over-eager sonar men may have
accounted for many reports. No actual sightings by "Maddox". Suggest
complete evaluation before further action."
Continued...
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts for kids
Facts
about the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts for kids
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 15: President Johnson had the
excuse he had been waiting for, and ignoring Captain Herrick's
second message, gave orders for U.S. bombers to retaliate for the
'deliberate' North Vietnamese torpedo attack. Johnson ordered the
bombing of four North Vietnamese torpedo boat bases and an
oil-storage depot which had been planned three months previously.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 16: President Johnson
therefore chose to ignore the doubts raised about the
August 4 incident and in his address to the American
people on August 4, 1964, the president stated, "...The
initial attack on the destroyer 'Maddox, on August 2,
was repeated today by a number of hostile vessels
attacking two U.S. destroyers with torpedoes. The
destroyers and supporting aircraft acted at once on the
orders I gave after the initial act of aggression..."
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 17: Whether or not the
North Vietnamese attacked the two ships during the
second incident on August 4, 1964 remains a mystery and
is a continuing subject of debate.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 18: The official U.S.
stance on the Gulf of Tonkin incident was that North
Vietnamese torpedo boats launched an "unprovoked attack"
against the U.S. destroyer Maddox on a "routine patrol"
in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2, and that North
Vietnamese Patrol Torpedo boats (PT boats) followed up
with a "deliberate attack" on a pair of U.S. ships two
days later.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 19: The Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution: On 5 August 1964, President Johnson asked
Congress to pass a resolution supporting his action. The
incident was the basis for the Tonkin Gulf Resolution,
which was unanimously passed 416 - 0 by the House of
Representatives on August 7, 1964.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 20: The Tonkin Gulf
Resolution was approved by a vote of 88-2 in the Senate.
The only two dissenting Senators were Wayne Morse
(Democrat-Oregon) and Ernest Gruening (Democrat-Alaska).
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts - 21:
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Joint Resolution
for the Maintenance of Peace and Security in Southeast
Asia, known as the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, on August
10, 1964. It gave him a free hand to escalate the war in
Vietnam, and the unlimited power he sought to wage war
in Southeast Asia..
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts -
22: The Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution: The Resolution authorized the President to
take all necessary measures against Vietnam and the
communist National Liberation Front (NLF) in South
Vietnam (the Vietcong)
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts -
23: The Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution: The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution also
authorized the president, without a formal declaration
of war by Congress, for the use of "conventional''
military force in Southeast Asia and provided the legal
foundation for increased American involvement in the
Vietnam War.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts -
24: In March 1965
‘Operation Rolling Thunder’ began and the first US
combat troops were sent to Vietnam. By the end of the
year 200,000 US troops had joined the conflict and by
1966, 400,000 US troops were in Vietnam.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts -
25: As a result of the
1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution President Johnson, and
later President Nixon, relied on the decree as the legal
basis for their aggressive military policies in Vietnam.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts -
26: The Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution became the subject of great political
controversy in the course of the undeclared military
conflict that followed. Anti-war protests grew and resulted in
the American people becoming divided into two camps over the Vietnam
War. Those who wanted the US to stay and fight were
called the Hawks and those who wanted the us to withdraw became known as the Doves.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts -
27: Towards the end of
Vietnam War, Congress decided to place limits on the
President's authority to unilaterally wage war. On
November 7, 1973, Congress passed the War Powers
Resolution requiring the President to consult with
Congress before making any decisions that engaged the
United States military in hostilities.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Facts for kids
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution - President Lyndon Johnson Video
The article on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Lyndon Johnson video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 36th American President whose presidency spanned from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
●
Interesting Facts about Gulf of Tonkin Resolution for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in US history
●
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, a major
event in US history
●
Lyndon Johnson from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969
●
Fast, fun facts about the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Lyndon Johnson
● Lyndon Johnson Presidency and
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution for schools,
homework, kids and children |